Swivel for use in well-drilling.



J. GROWDER.

SWIVEL FOR USE IN WELL DRILLING.

APPLICATEON FILED AUG. 17. !9l7- 8 m M i T 6 M .R VI 70 8 W u T A M A M0 m rm m. P m

:ronn enownnn, or .a v oca, IRELAND.

SWIVEL FOR USE IN WELL-DRILLING.

' subject of the King of Great Britain, and

resident of Gonna House, Avoca, county Wicklow, Irelandfliave invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Swivels for Use in Well-Drilling,of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to the swivels which, used to connect thedrilling tool with the wire rope by which the tool is raised and loweredin the bore of the well. In such swivels, the lower end of the rope isheld in a ferrule or tubular spindle about the axis of which the body ofthe swivel is freely rotatable, this tubular spindle having an externalshoulder which bears upwardly against an internal shoulder in the hollowpart of the swivel-body, so that while the swivel body (and with itthetool) can rotate relatively to the rope and tubular spindle, a pullon the rope will raise the spindle and, consequently, the swivel-bodyand tool.

As is well known, the wire rope becomes worn, and is liable to break,immediately above the upper extremity of the swivel, so that it isfrequently necessary to withdraw from the tubular spindle the piece ofrope held therein, and to thereafter make a fresh attachment at a ointabove the break in the rope. To ena le this to be done, the swivel hasin-some cases been made in a single piece so constructed as to permit ofthe rope being, when necessary, passed downward throughout the wholelength of the swivel-body and out through the screwed socket in whichthe tool is held; such an arrangement allowing of only a very narrowshoulder being provided on the spindle and,

swivel-body, and necessitatin the'useof a relatively long tubular spinle, which results in excesslve Wear and rapid deterioration of the rope.In other cases the length of the swivel has been divided at a pointbetween the lower end of the tubular spindle and the upper end of thetool-socket, so as to permit the passage of the rope clear through theupper section of the swivel-body when separated from the lower; the twosections being united by a screwed joint. Such a constructionnecessitates the provision on the swivel-body of two sets of flats forengagement by screw-spanners, and a consequent lengthening of theswivel, whereof the Weight is correspondingly increased.

Specification of Letters Patent.

in well-drilling operations are.

object of the present invention is, to overcome the disadvantagesreferred to, by

Patented Aug. a, rare.

Application filed August 17, 1917. Serial No. 186,7?1,

providing a swivel the body of which, while capable of being made in asingle piece, is

so constructed as to avoid the necessity of passing the rope downwardthroughout the whole length of the swivel-body and out through thetool-socket. For this purpose there is provided in the improvedswivelbody, a chamber forming an enlarged downward continuation of theneck-passage in the swivel-body, said chamber having in its side wall anopen slot of such length and width as to permit the insertion in andwithdrawal from working position of the shouldered tubular spindle whichis directly attached to the rope. In order to prevent the tubularspindle from dropping out of working position in the swivel-body whenthe may be removably fixed in the swivel-body immediately beneath thelower end of the The body of the improved swivel has, as; usual, atubular neck a at its upper end-, a

screwed socket b for the reception of "the drilling tool at its lowerend, and flats 0, 0 above the level of the socket b for engagement by a''screw spanner.,- Between the.

lower end of the necka and the upper limit of the Hats 0, c, theswivel-body is made hollow so as to provide a chamber d whose internaldiameter (which is greater than that of the neck a) corresponds to theexternal diameter of the enlarged lower end e of the tubular spindle f.The spindle I, when m the working positionshowmextends through A theneck a, a'was'he'r 9 being interposed between the internal shoulder iswithin the chamber 03 and the external shoulder on the spindle f. Thebore of the spindle f, within the enlargement e, is made conical asusual, as indicated at 70, so as to prevent the upward withdrawal. ofthe expanded-lower. 1

end of-the rope (not shown). f

The wall'm of the ch berd has, at one sid an upright slot 0 of a widthto g e I g tension on the rope is relaxed, a cross-pin lines 33andmpjectivly spindle.

passage to the enlargement e on the spindle f, the length of the chamberat and of the slot 0 being sufficient to permit of the spindle 7' beinginserted through the slot from outside and passed upward into theworking position shown, or lowered from said position and withdrawnthrough the slot, as may be required, even when the spindle is attachedto the unbroken rope.

In order that the width of the slot 0 may be kept as small as possible.the enlargement e of the spindle, and also the washer 9, may have theirdiameter reduced at opposite sides by means of flats cut thereon asindicated at 1-,?

\Vhcn the swivel is to be attached to the rope, the latter is passeddownward through the neck a and outward through the slot '0. The tubularspindle f, with the washer g, is then threaded over the rope, whoselower end is thereupon expanded and metaled into the conical part is ofthe bore of the The rope can now be pulled upon so as .to draw thespindle I through the slot 0 into the chamber 6, and upward in thelatter until the washer g is arrested by the shoulder it; after whichthe parts are retained in working position by means of a pin p-which ispassed, transversely of the slot 0, through holes in the walls m of thechamber (Z and securely riveted at the ends.

The neck a is, as usual, made of reduced emons external diameter andprovided with annular grooves 8 adapted for engagement by the fishingtools when the swivel is left in the bore of the well in consequence ofthe rope breaking.

t is a boring-center provided, for convenience in manufacture, at thebottom of the chamber d.

I claim:

An improved swivel for use in well-drilling to connect the drilling toolwith the wire rope by which the tool is raised and lowered, comprising abody having an elongated tubular neck at itsupper end, a chamber belowits neck, and closed at its lower end, said chamber being of greaterdiameter than the bore of the neck and having a right-angled shoulder atthe junction therewith, and a slot in the side of the chamber, said slotextending from near, the upper end of the chamber to the bottom thereof,a tubular spindle having an enlarged lower end and a reduced upper endwhich is of a length greater than that of the neck of the body andforming a right-angled shoulder at the junction therewith, a washerbetween the shoulders of the body and spindle, the

washer and the enlarged portion of the spindle having their opposingsides flattened, and a cross p111 for retaining the spindle in positionin the b0 gig. JO N GROWDER,

